Blair Caldwell African American Research Library
Denver, CO
The Blair Caldwell African American Research Library was designed to accommodate a library, exhibit space and meetings rooms on a very tight site. The vision of former Denver mayor, Wellington Webb, this facility has become a full-service library, museum and gathering place that includes a full slate of children’s programs offered in both English and Spanish. The library is a building designed around masonry, a material that has come to symbolize learning, longevity and solidarity, says the architect. The classical brick exterior features large centered arches on each façade, flanked by balanced, punched openings. In the tradition of other great cultural institutions, the architects created two large recessed panels on the front of the building for public art.